A Simple Favour
by CatsBalletHarveySpecter
Summary: Donna asks Harvey to pretend to be her boyfriend at her mom's birthday dinner. Fluff ensues.


A big thank you to Laura (frenchdarvey) for this idea that just so happened to fit with another idea I had and then well, this story was born.

This is set somewhere in between season 4 and 5 and pays tribute to the season 9 flashback I would love to see come to life.

Happy Reading - xx

* * *

**A Simple Favour**

Looking out over the Manhattan skyline she draws in a deep breath. She'd always found the lights soothing, the subtle blinking indicating movement in the distance just made everything seem so small and all her problems seem minuscule. She often came up here to clear her head, and tonight her head was in need of some clearing.

She doesn't know what possessed her to do it, but now she was trapped in a web of her own lies and she knew there was only one logical way out of it; to lie through her teeth until it was over. She just couldn't stand being pitied by her mom and her younger sister, her younger, happily married sister. Which is why she lied and told them she was seeing someone when they begin their chorus of, _You'll find someone Donna, _and _You just haven't met the right guy _on the phone earlier when discussing the upcoming birthday party for her mom. She'd had enough of their pitying tones and blurted out that she was seeing someone from work before she could stop herself. To make matters worse, when her sister asked who, Harvey's name was the first and only name that came to mind.

The entire conversation happened so fast, she'd barely had time to process what she'd said before hanging up, leaving her to wonder why she agreed to bring her "boss turned boyfriend" to her moms party this weekend. She hated that she lied to them, but she couldn't handle another round of hearing her mom rave about how wonderful it was that her younger sister had married such a perfect man. She liked her sister's husband, he seemed to treat her well and make her happy, but the pressure of being nearly five years older and single made attending family events excruciating.

Now, she had two days to figure out what she was going to do. She could just tell her family the truth and admit she lied, but they'd ask why she choose to use Harvey in her lie and that would open an entirely new can of worms. She could fake sick, but she knew that was only a short-term fix. She could just ask him to do her a favour, he would only have to pretend for a few hours and then they could go back to their every day normal. She sighs, maybe that was what was preventing her from asking him, she wanted to stray from their every day normal, if you could even call their relationship normal.

Besides, what if he didn't look at it as a simple favour? What if he read into it and it somehow obliterated the fine line they managed to walk in their relationship.

"And here I was thinking I was the only one who came up here to think…" Jessica calls from behind her.

As Jessica strolls over to where she's standing, Donna pulls her coat closer to body and turns to face her, "Just needed to clear my head" she says with a soft smile.

Jessica studies Donna's face as she turns back towards to city, noting that something was clearly bothering her.

"Everything okay Donna?"

"Of course, why wouldn't it be" she tries her best to muster up a cheery voice that does the exact opposite in terms of convincing Jessica nothing is on her mind.

"Donna, you know that you can talk to me, right?"

With a sigh, Donna's shoulders drop, and she turns to face the managing partner, "I, I told a little white lie and I'm not sure how to get out of it" she admits.

"Does this have to do with a client?"

"Oh no, it's, personal…"

"Ah, well, how I see it, you can stand out here and stare into nothing or you can tell me what it is and we can figure out a solution together."

"I told my mom that I was seeing someone at the office and that I was bringing him to her birthday celebration this weekend…"

"Someone, or Harvey?" Jessica questions.

"How did you…?"

"Oh please, I've worked with the two of you long enough to know you would never have chosen anyone else."

"Oh" Donna mumbles.

"You should just ask him. Lord knows you've done enough favours for that man" Jessica grins.

"You don't think that's kind of a weird favour to ask?"

"You mean I don't think it will scare him?" Jessica corrects, doing to Donna exactly what Donna is used to doing to others.

"Even if it does, that boy deserves a little scare, don't you think?"

.

.

"Hey" she calls from his door, diverting his attention from the laptop in front of him towards her, "Have a minute?"

"Sure Donna, what's up?" he leans back in his chair and offers her a tender smile.

"I actually have a favour to ask…" she begins, common Donna you can do this, she tells herself as prepares to continue.

Before she gets the chance, he cuts her off, "Yes, you can leave early to grab drinks with Rachel."

"What? No, that's not what… How did you know I had plans to get drinks with Rachel?"

"Mike mentioned it, asked if I wanted to have a _guys night_ since Rachel will be out with you" he explains.

"Oh well yes we're going for drinks but that's not what I wanted to ask you…" she tries again and is cut off by a swift knock at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt but I have a package for a Mr. Specter and there's no one at the desk" the delivery man gestures to Donna's empty desk and she gets up to sign for the package. Thanking him, she returns to her seat across from Harvey and places to package on his desk.

"As I was saying, I have something to ask you and I don't want you to take it the wrong way" she mumbles.

"What is it Donna?"

"I may have told my mother that I was bringing a someone from the office to her birthday dinner this Saturday… And I may have let it slip that that someone was you" she blushes as the words leave her mouth.

"Why would you tell you mom I was coming to her birthday dinner? We've only met once?" he stares back at her.

"See, that's the thing… I sort of told her you were coming because you were my boyfriend."

She watches as Harvey's eyes nearly bulge out of his head and he struggles to maintain composed, a flustered expression washing over him.

"I didn't mean to lie to her but you know how she is and she was droning on and on about Lizzy and her stupid perfect husband and I just panicked," she rambles on, over explaining as if it will diffuse some of the tension in the room, "Anyways you don't have to come, I just thought maybe you wouldn't mind, pretending for a few hours…"

"Let me get this straight, you want me to come with you to your mother's house,"

"Actually, it's at my house" she corrects.

"You're asking me to come to your mother's birthday, as your boyfriend?" he repeats.

"Fake boyfriend" she points out, as if the fake part made the situation any less weird.

"Right" he nods, mulling over her offer.

"You really want me to do this? Even after the other time? With your mother and the…. And what she thought about…."

"Yes" she cuts him off before he can bring up what they swore they'd never talk about again; and had been successfully avoiding for nearly a decade.

"Donna, I don't know if this is the best idea…" he muses.

He was caught off guard by her question, but what threw him off the most was the sudden panic that rose in his stomach when she'd asked. As far as he was concerned, they'd cast the boundaries of their relationship years ago and this was toe tipping that line they so gracefully danced around. It wasn't that he didn't want to help her, but he was worried that doing this would stir up feelings he'd long since tried to convinced himself were gone.

"You don't have to do it, just, think about it, alright?" she smiles at him from across his desk.

"I'll think about it" he agrees, and with that she moves back to her own desk outside of his office and tries to busy herself for the rest of the afternoon.

.

.

"You're here late" Jessica says as she plops herself down on his couch and helps herself to a drink.

"I could say the same to you" he counters, joining her on the couch and extending his empty glass to be filled.

"You looked confused, when I walked in here" she cuts straight to the point.

"Because I am…" he admits, taking a large gulp of his drink.

"Donna wants me to pretend to be her boyfriend in front of her family" he adds, downing the rest of the liquid in the glass.

"And you don't think you can do it because you have feelings for her?"

"Yes. Shit, wait no, I don't have feelings for her" he panics at his slip and tries to recover.

Jessica raises an eyebrow at him and smirks, "Right. Well if you want my opinion, that woman has gone above and beyond for you for years, I think this is the least you can do."

"You're right, besides it's just a simple favour."

.

.

She's about to head to bed when her phone buzzes on her nightstand with a text from Harvey. She slides the message open and a wave of relief washes over her.

_Congratulations, you've got yourself a fake boyfriend – H_

_Thank you! I'll clear your lunch schedule for tomorrow so we can go over a few things – D_

Placing the phone back on the table, she begins to come up with all the things she and Harvey will need to cover before Saturday. Yes, they'd known each other a long time but she knew how her family was and they were bound to be asked all kinds of questions only a real couple would know the answer too.

.

.

The restaurant was packed with Friday's lunch goers and Donna and Harvey found themselves tucked away in a corner booth laughing about something an associate said to Louis that morning.

"Alright, let's get down to business" she claps, pulling a folder out of her purse.

"What's that for?"

"It's all the things you should know about me before Saturday" she replies, sliding him the folder.

"Donna, we've worked together for years I know everything I need to know."

"Oh really, what side of the bed do I sleep on?" she challenges, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, based on the other time…"

"OKAY, next question" she cuts him off and blushes, she'd forgotten they spent the night together once before.

He skims down the sheet in front of him and chuckles.

"What is so funny?"

"Who wears the pants in the relationship? I doubt anyone in your family is going to ask us that…"

"You'd be surprised…" she giggles, "And the answer is me."

"Easy there, hot shot. What else do we have here… let's see, where was our first date?" he reads and then proceeds to answer his own question, "That's easy. I took you on a picnic in the park."

"Wow, fake boyfriend Harvey is romantic" she teases.

"So is real Harvey" his eyes turn to hers and he watches as her cheeks flush.

Changing the subject, she quizzes him on a few more questions before they order lunch and eat in a comfortable silence. They decide that they had been dating for a few months but kept their relationship quiet at the office since Donna worked for Harvey, that he was the better cook and that, despite Harvey's protests, she wore the pants.

"Donna? Why did you tell your mom you were dating me?" he asks with the slightest hint of hopefulness in his voice. He knows it's a stretch but ever since she asked, he'd wondered if maybe she harbored the same romantic feelings he did.

"Honestly, you were the first name that came to mind, I was staring at the lettering on your door"

"Oh" he mumbles, returning his focus back to his food as they sit in a comfortable silence once again.

Breaking the silence once again he asks, "And you swear it won't be weird after last time?"

"I swear. It will only be weird if we let it be weird."

.

.

He knew he couldn't show up empty handed, but flowers seemed too cliché, even for a fake date so he found himself standing outside of her door holding a bottle of wine and a jar of chocolate covered almonds; her guilty pleasure snack. She'd never told him they were her favourite, but he noticed every time she was stressed or had a long day a bag of them appeared on her desk, so he figured they were a good idea for today when she would likely be on edge.

He knocks below the brass 206 on her door and waits for her to let him in. Yesterday, she told him to let himself in since she would be cooking and he would be arriving before the guests, but he felt like he was intruding.

"Geez, Harvey, I told you to just come in" she swings the door open to reveal herself wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black turtleneck under an apron. He suddenly feels over dressed in his grey dress pants and white collared shirt but pushes his panic aside.

"You never told me you were cooking" he teases, brushing past her and into the apartment and handing her the treats he picked up for her.

"I'm not," she smirks, "Why do you think I asked you to come over early" she pressed a large spoon into his chest as he rolls his eyes and follows her into the kitchen.

"Thank you for these" she holds up the almonds with a grin.

"Flowers felt wrong" he admits as he takes over from where she was preparing a sauce.

"So, why host at your house? You can't run away when you've had enough" he points out as he stirs the sauce she began preparing.

From her seat on the counter next to him she swings her legs against the cupboards as she answers, "I don't go to family events all that often, I feel like offering to host every once and a while makes up for it."

"Fair enough. Here taste this," he puts the tip of the spoon in her mouth before she has a chance to respond.

"Who knew Harvey Specter could cook" she teases as she hops down off the counter.

"You did, that's why you invited me over for the last event involving your mother. If I recall correctly you tried to pass my cooking off as your own" he smirks.

"It's not my fault you didn't get out of here fast enough and she tricked you into staying" she shrugs and moves to grab them wine glasses. She gestures towards the glass and he nods, knowing he's going to need a few if he's going to get through tonight pretending to be her boyfriend, while simultaneously pretending he didn't wish any of this were real. He'd thought about it before, what it would be like to go home to her, cook dinner for them and fall asleep watching movies on the couch. It was a fleeting thought, but it had crossed his mind more often than he cared to admit.

"Here's to getting this god-awful night over with," she raises her glass and clinks it against his.

"And thank you, Harvey."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"For cooking, and for doing this for me."

"You would have done the same" he cocks his head to the side and they both take another long sip of their drinks.

"I'm going to go change" she excuses herself, refilling her glass and leaving him to finish preparing dinner alone.

Once alone in her room and slides onto her bed and closes her eyes, god, what were they doing. Cooking together, pretending to be together, like they were more than they were. She'd dreamt about this before, coming home to him, spending hours in the kitchen together, joking around and just enjoying each other's company. The worst part was, even though she knew this was fake, it felt natural, almost instinctual. Pull it together Donna, she reminds herself, he's only here because you asked him to do you a favour. This isn't real.

Despite telling herself to bury her feelings, she spends an extra ten minutes getting ready and puts on an extra spray of the perfume she knows he loves before rejoining him in the kitchen.

He's putting the final touches on the meal when she rejoins him wearing a casual cream coloured gown that hangs just below the knee and nearly knocks the wind right out of him. It's casual, yet elegant and hugs her in all the right places. Her hair is swept back in a ponytail and he can't recall the last time he'd seen her wear it that way but he made a note to tell her she should do it more often.

"You look, beautiful" he gulps, hoping his compliment wasn't over stepping.

"Thank you" she blushes, "Need a hand?"

"I'm just about done, okay remind me what your sister's husbands name is again?"

She can see his nervousness has escalated since she left to get ready, so she offers a small smile while reminding him for the millionth time since their lunch the day before, "Bradley, and he's a realtor."

"And your mom's boyfriends name is Keith" he verifies, and she nods.

"I think you need another drink" she chuckles placing a reassuring hand on his arm, "Not to late to jump out the window…"

"And leave you to fend for yourself, what kind of boyfriend would that make me?" he jokes, pulse racing from where her hand is still holding on to his arm.

"Not a very good one" she laughs, stepping ever so slightly closer to him, unable to remove her hand from where it's placed on his forearm.

"We can't have that, because you deserve someone who stops time for you" his eyes finally meet hers and he's suddenly drowning in a pool of hazel adoration and he's transported back to a time nearly a decade before in this very kitchen when she looked at him with an equal intensity before dragging him back to the bedroom; the other time. He subconsciously leans in when the doorbell rings and they bolt apart.

"I should get that" she whispers, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles on her dress.

"I'll finish up here," he gestures over his shoulder at the food.

"Hey Donna," he calls after her.

'Ya?"

"Let's give em' a good show" he grins, arrogant charm suddenly back in full force.

Right, a good show, she thinks to herself and makes her way to the door.

.

"Doooonaaa" her sister squeals as she pulls her in to a hug.

"Hey Lizzy" she ruffles her little sister's hair which causes the girl to pout.

"You are the only person on the planet that still calls me Lizzy, I go by Elizabeth now," the girl informs Donna as she releases her from the hug.

"Bradley," Donna greets her sisters husband with a small, less aggressive hug than the one her sister had given her.

"Good to see you Donna. Where do you want our jackets?" he asks, taking hold of his wife's coat.

"I can grab those" she hears Harvey call from behind her, "Harvey," he extends his hand to Bradley before reaching for the jackets.

"And you must be Elizabeth" he grins at Donna's little sister. He didn't need to be told who it was because the resemblance between the pair was shocking. Elizabeth was slightly shorter and wider set but had the same flaming red locks and freckles, a trait he always thought of as so innately Donna.

"I'm Donna's boyfriend, Harvey" he flashes her his trademark grin and Donna can't believe how much of a natural he is at this.

"I'll be damned, I really thought this one was just making that up, after all she's been pining after you for years."

"Lizzy why don't I show you the living room" Donna interjects, not wanting her sister to elaborate on her comment.

"Please, I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest man alive to be dating your sister" Harvey leans over and places a kiss on Donna's temple, "Now if you'll excuse me I'll go put these coats away."

Donna begins ushering her sister and her husband into the living room when Harvey moves past her towards her bedroom, where he assumes he should put the jackets. He pauses as she passes him and can't help himself from whispering to her, "Pining for me, huh?"

"Shut up" she playfully rolls her eyes before showing her sister around.

.

.

When Harvey returns, Donna's mother and her boyfriend had already arrived and were seated in the living room.

"Harvey, good to see you again!" she exclaims when she sees him, standing to pull him in to a hug. Donna smirks at him over her mom's shoulder, knowing how much he hated being hugged and was trying his best to remain friendly.

"Likewise, Mrs. Paulsen. And you must be Keith" he shakes the balding mans hand before taking a seat next to Donna on the sofa.

"So, Harvey, how's work been?" Donna's mom asks.

"Oh, you know, the life of a lawyer is always busy, but thank god I have this one to keep me on my toes" he wraps an arm around Donna's waist and pulls her into his side; an action that causes ever nerve in her body to come alive. As if the kiss on the temple hadn't rattled her enough, she reminded herself she needed to get a grip and not let every little touch have this effect on her.

"He'd be lost without me" she agrees, momentarily allowing her eyes to flit to his. She's hyper aware of his arm around her as the conversation drones on and he only removes it once they all make their way to the table for dinner. She serves the pasta Harvey prepared and everyone fawns over his sauce, a recipe he agrees to share with her mother. With dinner winding down, she can't believe how easily conversation flowed between Harvey and her family. He spent time discussing real estate with Lizzy's husband while she and her sister gossiped about the latest romantic comedy they'd seen. It was as though he always attended their family dinners and she was grateful he agreed to come tonight; without him the evening would have been unbearable. She nearly forgot that they were supposed to be in a fake relationship until her mother's boyfriend asked how long they'd been together.

"Three months" Harvey answers without batting an eyelash.

"That's so, new" her sister remarks and he can sense Donna tense beside him.

"Well, officially it's been three months since I smartened up and asked her to be mine, but she's had my heart much longer than that."

He reaches for her hand under the table and gives it a reassuring squeeze but rather than releasing it afterwards he slips his fingers between hers and pulls her hand in to his lap. He knows she's aware it isn't part of his act, seeing as no one at the table can see them, but it feels right and when she doesn't pull her hand away, he knows he made the right choice.

"Awww" her sister sighs, "Harvey, that is so sweet."

Leave it to Lizzy to make a snide comment and then fawn over Harvey three seconds later, Donna internally sighs.

"What about you Donna?"

"What about me?"

"When did you know Harvey was the one?"

Harvey turns towards her and waits for her to answer. They hadn't discussed what they would say if asked and he was secretly dying to know what she was going to say.

"I don't know if I can pinpoint a time, I've always just know" she replies but her sister doesn't fall for her vague answer.

"Oh common, you're Donna and I know you know."

Donna sighs and leans back in her chair, fingers still intertwined with Harvey's beneath the table, "I'd always thought that maybe, he was something special, but I really knew I was a goner when he hired his own associate, Mike Ross."

She has Harvey's undivided attention now, he, along with the rest of the table hanging on her every word so she continues, "I saw something in him when he hired that kid. Something I wasn't sure existed before. He became this mentor and it really allowed him to explore what kind of person he wanted to be and well, I guess I just feel further in love with the person he decided to become."

She looks into his eyes and is surprised to see him looking back at her with pure adoration. She swears they're having a moment, a conversation that needs no words but her sisters voice cuts through the silence and snaps her back to reality.

"Well aren't you two just the sweetest. Don't you think mom?"

"I'm so happy you've both found each other, and to think the last time we all had dinner together you were trying to tell me you were just friends."

"We were just friends, mom" Donna explains, so much for not bringing up that god-awful dinner party.

"Please, the way you two were making eyes at each other, I'm surprised you even noticed when the rest of us left…"

.

.

_"So, how long have you two kids been together?" her mom's boyfriend asks as he moves to join her mother in the living room. _

_Harvey nearly chokes on his shrimp when he hears the man's question and sends a shrimp flying across the room and into her mother's hair after a coughing fit. Luckily, neither Donna's mother or her boyfriend seemed to notice, which only made it funnier to Harvey and Donna. _

_"Haaarvey! You have to geettt it out!" she laughs and he hushes her drunken laughter. From their seat at the kitchen table they can see the shrimp he accidentally flung into her mother's hair and in their drunken state neither can stop laughing. _

_"I can't believe she hasn't noticed" he snickers _

_"She's going to freak out when she finds it" Donna giggles._

_"Are you two planning on joining us over here?" Donna's mom calls from the living room and a reluctant Harvey and Donna stumble their way into the living room. _

_"What were you two doing?"_

_"We had some business to discuss" Donna answers, plopping herself down on the sofa a little bit too close to Harvey. _

_"And you mean to tell me that you two are not together? With all that laughter and flirting, I don't buy it" her mom stares between the two of them. _

_"Well buy it mom, Harvey and I are just friends" Donna states rather boldly and the conversation moves on to her mother's latest book club drama. _

_._

_"I'm sorry about my mom, thinking we're together" she apologizes as he helps her with the dishes. _

_"Oh god, don't apologize, it's my own fault for not getting out off here sooner" he smirks and hands her a pile of plates. _

_"You didn't have to come over here either" she points out. _

_"I did. You were stressed out about the dinner and I knew a drink or two would help."_

_"Or four or five" _

_"Or four or five" he laughs, "I should head out…"_

_"I'll walk you out" she smiles and trails behind him towards the door. _

_"I can't believe your mom really thought we were a couple" he chuckles as he puts on his jacket. _

_"Please, you'd be lucky to have me" she flirts, stepping towards him to fix his tie out of habit. _

_"I would be" he replies, locking eyes with her monetarily before breaking the moment and mumbling that he should go. _

_._

_._

"Well a lot has changed since then, but I am so lucky to be in love with your daughter Mrs. Paulsen."

"Please, call me Pamela. I'm just so glad Donna has finally found someone. We were worried she was going to grow old alone and end up adopting a whole bunch of cats. I mean, it can't be easier watching your little sister get married before you…"

"Mom, I'm sitting right here…" Donna whines.

"Exactly, I'm complimenting you dear, for finding a man who clearly cares about you."

Harvey squeezes her hand beneath the table because despite all the acts being put on tonight, he never had to hide how much he cared about her.

.

.

After helping to clear the table and saying goodbye to her mom and Keith, they find themselves agreeing to a game of charades with her sister and Bradley. She's just as competitive as her little sister and she knows Harvey hates to lose so they're in for an explosive game.

They decide to play as duo's, each couple having 30 seconds to guess what the other couple is acting out and the first team to ten points wins. The only catch was that only one team member could read the card and the other had to act out what they assumed the card said based on what the reading team member was doing. Your team also got bonus points if the partner that didn't read the card could guess what was written on it. It was a backwards way to play charades but as kids Donna and her sister were determined to make the game more interested and they'd been playing this way ever since.

Lizzy and Bradley go first, with Bradley reading the card and Donna immediately guessing bowling before Lizzy can even join in. Harvey and Donna go next and its Donna who reads the card, "climbing a tree". All it takes is one look and a swift climbing action for Harvey to catch on. Harvey gets the card correct and from then on, they're on a role. Donna's sister even makes a comment about how well they read each other which doesn't surprise them, they'd been reading each other for years. The evening is light-hearted and filled with quick witted banter and she can't remember the last time she'd had so much fun.

It's Harvey's turn to pull a card and for the first time all night, she can't read his expression. His eyes are clouded with a something she doesn't recognize, and he takes a slow purposeful step towards her. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, she stares up at him doe-eyed as he closes the gap between them and kisses her. It's soft at first, uncertain, but when he feels her kiss him back, he allows himself to deepen it. They forget where they are for a moment, forget about the game they're playing, they charade they're putting on in real life and just give themselves to each other. When he finally breaks the kiss she stands there, staring back at him, speechless. The timer saves them both from having to speak next and Lizzy asks, "Donna any guesses?"

"Ummm, I ugh-" she stammers, right, they were playing a game.

"It was a first kiss" Lizzy calls holding up the crinkled sheet of paper, "It's just as well we end here, we have an early morning."

"I'll grab your coats" Harvey mumbles before excusing himself to Donna's room.

Once alone he takes in a deep breath and drops his head into his hands. What was he doing? Why did he kiss her, but more importantly, why did she kiss him back? Was that part of the charade or did she feel what he felt?

What he felt, god, he felt everything in that kiss. The moment his lips met hers he knew why he was so hesitant to agree to this. He was in love with Donna Paulsen, and it only took him ten years and a fake date to figure it out.

In the foyer, Donna wraps her hand around her chest while they wait for Harvey to return with the jackets, her mind racing. Tonight may have been fake but what she was feeling was very real. What she was feeling were things that shouldn't be felt by someone for their boss, or worse for their boss who views them as nothing more than a friend.

"I'm so happy for you Donna, Harvey seems wonderful and my god the way he looks at you!"

"How does he look at me?" she asks.

"Like you stop time," her sister replies and Harvey's words ring through her ears.

_Because you deserve someone who stops time for you_

Harvey returns with their guests coats and bids them both goodbye, Donna seemingly distracted and moving through the actions without much thought.

"It was so nice to meet you," Lizzy grins at Harvey, "You guys will have to come over for dinner sometime?"

"We would love to, have a safe drive" he waves before closing the door behind them.

They stand in silence for a moment, both doing their best to avoid looking at the other, not wanting to have to speak first.

"I should go and do the dishes, thank you for doing this tonight Harvey. And don't worry, tomorrow we can pretend like none of this ever happened and go back to normal," she says, turning on her heels towards the kitchen. The sound of his voice stops her in her tracks,

"What if I don't want that?" he calls.

"Don't want what?" she turns to face him.

"What if I don't want to forget about tonight? Or that kiss? Because I know you felt something too."

"Our emotions were running high because of the situation" she justifies and he takes a step towards her.

"That's not true, and you know it."

"Harvey, what happens when we go back to work tomorrow and were not playing pretend anymore?"

"I'll still be thinking about that kiss…" he mumbles with another step in her direction.

"We've been working together for how long and you're suddenly the one to want to remember a stupid little kiss? You're the one who always shuts down whenever I hint that I might want something more!"

"I don't want to pretend tonight never happened, Donna, because it showed me that this is exactly what I want. What I've been missing has been right in front of my stupid face."

"What do you want then?" she asks as he takes the final step to close the distance between them.

"I want to watch you fail miserably at cooking. I want to listen to you and your sister argue over which celebrity wore it best, I want to have movie nights and fall asleep on the couch while drinking ridiculously expensive wine. But most of all, I just want you."

And with that he takes her in his arms and kisses her in a way that tells her all she needs to know; he's all in.


End file.
